The Mystery Lying Beneath A Missing WWII Submarine And Its Crew Members Unraveled

First Radio Message Sent

On January 28, 1944, Grayback was sent out from Pearl Harbor on a combat patrol mission. At the time, the sub was going on its tenth such journey and sad to say, it was the last. A few weeks before it went off the radar, it sent a couple of victory messages back to its base, noting the demolishing of two rival subs, the Japanese freighters Toshin Maru and Taikei Maru and a few others. This message was transmitted on February 24.

First Radio Message Sent

Second Radio Message

The following day, February 25, the crew sent another victory message noting they had destroyed the liner Asama Maru – a Japanese sub that was used in military battle as a troop carrier. They also sunk the Nanpo Maru tanker. However, since the last report, there were no more victory releases as the sub reported they had to move to Midway Atoll in the North Pacific to re-supply as they only had two torpedoes remaining.

Second Radio Message

Reported Missing

The message on February 25 was the last from Grayback, and based on her distance at sea, she should have reported to the re-supply station by March 7, however, she didn’t. What made things more suspicious and alarming was the fact that up to three weeks later, she had still not docked at Midway Atoll. As such, the authorities were left with only one choice but to report her missing, and this was done on March 30, 1944.

Reported Missing

Manufacturing of Grayback

On April 3, 1940, the keel of U.S.S. Grayback was set on the grounds of the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut. We are going to take a trip down memory lane on finding out about the Grayback before we dig deeper into the disappearance. It is important that you understand the full significance of this project, its submarine, and its crew, to better connect with and understand the full story.

Manufacturing Of Grayback

Certified Submarine Makers

The Electric Boat Company sure had a lot of skilled and experienced workers, and as such, one could say the project was in great hands. The company has been in existence and has been building submarines since 1899. The first boat to be constructed by the company, U.S.S. Holland, was the first U.S. Navy submarine and was proposed to start in 1900. The U.S. Navy and British Royal Navy both benefited from an 85-submarine project that was done by the company during World War I.

Certified Submarine Makers

A Troubled Fleet

Electric Boat Company designed another 74 submarines during the period of WWII, and this batch included the Grayback. The Grayback was a Tambor-class vessel and was one of 12 to be built though seven was destroyed in the previous WWI. As a result of this, Tambor submarines were withdrawn from the operation, but the Grayback went missing before they could be recalled. This sent the navy into a panic, as it could not account for a lost member.

A Troubled Fleet

Features of the Grayback

The Grayback was designed with a maximum measure of 300 feet from stem to stem and could submerge at a maximum of 2,410 tons. The width of the boat measured 27 feet and had a surface speed of 20 knots and an underwater speed of under nine knots. The Grayback also could remain submerged for up to 48 hours and range over miles. It was certainly one of the most advanced submarines of its time.

Features Of The Grayback

Overcapacitated Diesel-Submarine

The propellers on the submarine were run on four electric motors and also operated by diesel engines with a diving depth of up to 250 feet. The capacity stood at 54 enlisted men and six officers. However, as noted earlier, the submarine had up to 80 crew members before it went missing in 1944. We will never know what nearly 100 men endured during this vague and yet surely terrifying ordeal.

Overcapacitated Diesel Submarine

Built for War

The design of the Grayback had ten 21-inch torpedo tubes (six towards the bow and four at the stern), thus making her well-equipped. The submarine also boasted a 50-caliber gun, Oerlikon 20mm cannons, and Bofors 40mm and was all mounted on the deck. The weapons were installed to provide some level of defense against rivals and enemy warships that would approach when the sub surfaced. Her crew did not know what kind of dangers they would face, but they put faith in their defenses.

Built For War

Commissioned for War

Ten months after being constructed by the Electric Boat Company, Rear Admiral Wilson Brown’s wife launched the Grayback on January 31, 1941. She was later commissioned into the U.S. Navy on June 30, just about five months before America was back at war with the Japanese who had launched an attack on Pearl Harbor. America was gearing itself up for battle, consolidating its greater fleet for total and ambitious war.

Commissioned For War

The 1941 Grayback Patrol

Once her commissioning was successful, Grayback went into full cruise under the guide and command of Lieutenant Willard A. Saunders on Long Island Sound. This launch came as a test for the submarine to see its capabilities as well as for crew members to get familiarized with her technicalities. Once all was according to plan, the Grayback went on a patrol where she covered parts of the Caribbean and the Chesapeake Bay in September 1941.

The 1941 Grayback Patrol

Beginning of the Journey Through WWII

After going through a series of checks and maintenance at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on the Maine Coast, she made her way back to Pearl Harbor in February 1942. Upon arrival, the U.S. was already in the Second World War, and things were about to get busy for the sub and her crew. The first cruise into war took place on February 15 when it sailed along the Pacific to the coasts of the island of Guam, where Japan invaded in 1941.

Beginning Of The Journey Through WWII

Patroling Enemy Territory

The submarine also went in close range to the coast of Saipan, a Japanese territory. The patrol lasted around three weeks and had a series of “hide and seek” game with a Japanese submarine. The Japanese boat sent out two torpedo missiles at the Grayback, and though she missed it, she was unable to recover fast enough to return fire. This was the crew’s first proper confrontation with an enemy submarine.

Patroling Enemy Territory

Dodging the Enemy’s Attack

While still on the cruise, she managed to escape from other enemy ships while sinking one in the process – a 3.291-ton sub. On her second voyage, nothing major took place, and she ended up docking at Fremantle. For most of the remainder of her career, she was docked at this base in Western Australia. The Grayback was welcomed back to rousing cheering and celebration, its crew lauded as heroes.

Dodging The Enemys Attack

Second Mission a Challenge

During the next two missions at sea, Grayback sailed across South China’s territory but had issues with enemy patrol boats, low-lit nights, and waters that were not the easiest to cross over. But, the Grayback was amazingly successful, in that she managed to destroy a few enemy boats and merchant ships. Then, on December 7, 1942, Grayback set sail off the port in Western Australia to complete her fifth mission.

Second Mission A Challenge

1942 – An Eventful Christmas

Christmas Day 1942 was a historic day for the Grayback as she was faced with a full onslaught of enemies – there were four landing barges when she surfaced. She managed to sink them using her deck guns. However, just four days later, she was attacked by an enemy fighter boat that fired torpedoes at her. She managed through the leading of her crew to evade the attacks. By the start of 1943, the Grayback was once again set for another eventful period as she made the first attack on the Imperial Japanese Navy Vessel I-18. The vessel managed to escape this attack but was not so lucky a month later when the U.S. sub pounced on the enemy submarine and destroyed it. All 102 crewmen on the enemy ship died in the attack.

1942 An Eventful Christmas

Brave Rescue Mission

While on the fifth tour, the Grayback recorded a daring rescue mission that many people thought was one of the bravest. A bomber, Martin B-26 Marauder, crash-landed, and six Americans were stranded at the site (this was in Japanese territory). At dusk, two crew members from the Grayback launched a search and rescue mission where they were successful in finding the men. At dawn, the Grayback dove and were successful in evading the attention of the Japanese planes.

Brave Rescue Mission

Honoring an Act of Bravery

The next night, the two rescue men guided the victims to the site of the submarine. Commander Edward C. Stephan, who took the post in September 1942, won the Navy Cross for his act of bravery in addition to a wonderful U.S. Army Silver Star. However, as her mission continued, she managed to damage numerous Japanese crafts but was destroyed as a result of depth charges from an enemy destroyer.

Honoring An Act Of Bravery

Docking in Australia

Enemy weapons damaged a hatch on Grayback’s hull, and as such, there was a leakage that caused her to dock on Brisbane port in Australia. The sub’s next patrol in February 1943 saw no successful attacks due to a malfunctioning radar and other newly installed fittings. These spontaneous technical malfunctions pushed the crew’s resourcefulness to new limits. Luckily enough, the Grayback pushed through to her seventh tour, which began in April 1943.

Docking In Australia

Sinking the Enemy Ships

This cruise saw Grayback yielding much success as on tour, she hit Yodogawa Maru, an enemy merchant ship with two torpedoes. It eventually sank. A few days down the line, she managed yet again to destroy another enemy ship with a single torpedo. By the following day, another cargo ship was sunk by Grayback, the England Maru, in addition to two others. After these many victories, she set sail back to Pearl Harbor then to San Francisco, California, where she would undergo a refitting process.

Sinking The Enemy Ships

Eighth Mission with Commander Moore

By September 12, 1943, Pearl Harbor was greeted by Grayback’s presence and was once again ready to hit another Pacific mission. This mission would be her eight during the war under the leadership of Commander John Anderson Moore. By now, the crew were experienced veterans and were ready to take on anything. Within two weeks of docking at Pearl Harbor, Grayback was ready to hit the seas again with the U.S.S. Shad to Midway Atoll.

Eighth Mission With Commander Moore

The Creation of “Wolfpack”

While at Midway Atoll, U.S.S. Cero joined Grayback and Shad and formed the legendary group “wolfpack.” This tactic to team up in war had proven successful, especially by German U-boat, and had now been adopted by the U.S. Navy. Still, this was a new strategy for the generally individualistic submarines, and it was unclear whether its captains and crews could cooperate to effective efficiency. Still, the plan had been thought through thoroughly, and the brass were optimistic.

The Creation Of Wolfpack

Teamwork to Achieve Success

As implemented by the U.S. Navy, they saw a lot of success. With the teamwork, the three boats managed to sink over 38,000 tons of Japanese shipping, as well as an additional 3.300 tons. By November 10, 1943, the three boats were back at Midway Atoll as their torpedoes had finished. At the end of this mission, Commander Moore was the second officer to win a Navy Cross off the works of Grayback.

Teamwork To Achieve Success

Torpedoes Finished in Just Five Days

Grayback commissioned another sail to the East China Sea on December 2, 1943. The ninth patrol saw the Grayback firing all her torpedoes across a five-day period where four Japanese warships were destroyed. She had to return to Pearl Harbor, and by then, Moore had received another Navy Cross. It seemed like this submarine had become the unstoppable nemesis of the Japanese, with not even its best submarines and most talented crews providing much of a combined challenge.

Torpedoes Finished In Just Five Days

Sadly, Her Last Mission

Grayback stayed at Pearl Harbor for over three weeks before going on her tenth mission and sad to say, it was her last. She went out on January 28, 1944, and as noted earlier, her last radio transmission was on February 25, 1944. By March 30, she was declared missing as no contact could be sent, nor was any received. The Grayback had simply disappeared, spawning a widespread search and rescue mission.

Sadly Her Last Mission

Dying with Pride

This final mission saw the Grayback sinking a whopping 21, 594 tons of Japanese shipping. The by now desperate Japanese were heavily relying on such supplies, with the Grayback worsening supply shortages greatly. The ship was now sailing on its third mission with Moore as its director. However, due to the ship not returning, the commander was Posthumously given a third Navy Cross. Grayback was also awarded her eight battle stars for her service during the Second World War.

Dying With Pride

Error-Filled Research and Investigation

After the famous submarine sunk, it would take a few decades before the truth was revealed about what really happened to the Grayback. Bear in mind, she also had a crew of 80 members. At first, the U.S. Navy had the idea that the submarine had sunk around 100 miles of the southeast of the Japanese Island of Okinawa. After numerous research and investigations, it turned out that information was based on data collected that had a lot of errors.

Error Filled Research And Investigation

Single-Digit Error

The information received by the U.S. Navy came from war records that the Japanese had. However, based on investigations, it turned out a single digit in a map was transcribed wrong, and as such, the original placement of the submarine was not even close to where the records had it. So, those years of information were completely wrong, and the intense search and rescue efforts so far had all been in vain.

Single Digit Error

Fresh Investigation in 2018

Tim Taylor took up the case in 2018 when he decided to re-examine the disappearance of the submarine and also to review the submitted case. As such, it was during this time that the mystery was unraveled about the truth. Taylor started the Lost 52 Project, a private initiative that is bent on finding the remains of the 52 missing submarines of World War II. You might wonder what the point was…

Fresh Investigation In 2018

A U.S. – Japan Team Research

Taylor teamed up with Yutaka Iwasaki, a Japanese researcher, to help sort out the files on the Sasebo base. This base was used during the Second World War as the base for the Japanese Imperial Navy. The site hosted daily radio contacts from both Naha and Okinawa Island and was also the location for Japanese naval air. It was a heartwarming sight to behold, that of former enemies uniting to discover the remains of their conflict.

A US Japan Team Research

Transcripted Error Identified

Iwasaki got to work immediately, and before long, he identified the fatal and time-wasting error that was present in the transcription of the report that was collected on February 27, 1944, at Sasebo from Naha. Interestingly enough, the latest data was collected a few days after Grayback had docked at the base. Also, there was a detailed report of an attack by a Nakajima B5N bomber collected from an aircraft carrier.

Transcripted Error Identified

Japanese Bomber Claiming Victory

The Nakajima B5N, a Japanese bomber, noted that on February 27, it had released a 500-pound bomb on a submarine that had surfaced in its waters. The report detailed that the bomb was dropped to the rear of the conning tower, which caused an explosion where the boat sank and seemingly no one had survived. This explosive event would become an integral clue in the international investigation’s progress and development.

Japanese Bomber Claiming Victory

File Data Released

Iwasaki gave a detailed review of what he discovered in the files present about the Japanese wartimes to The New York Times in 2019. He noted, “In that radio record, the longitude and latitude of the attack were outlined clearly.” Based on the information he gave, the records the U.S. had since 1949 was way off by at least 100 miles. Amazing how a single digit resulted in such a far off search effort.

File Data Released

“Operation Find” Begins

With the new information, Taylor was now confident that he would be able to identify the real wreckage site where Grayback could have landed. During the spring of 2019, Taylor and his team set out to accomplish a great journey. Fortunately, it was a successful trip as the Lost 52 Team managed to locate the lost submarine with the hull being in one place even after so many years. But to think this was the only discovery, the divers and researchers had another site they had to behold and one filled with lots of emotion.

Operation Find Begins

Taylor Revealed the Findings

In an interview with The New York Times, Taylor told the press about the Lost 52 team’s feelings. “It was a great feeling but also sad as we found 80 men.” This discovery was not only hard for those who made the find but also the relatives of those who were crew members on the boat at the time it sank. At least the people that had sunk with the submarine could now have their worries and fears laid to rest.

Taylor Revealed The Findings

Painful Stories

Gloria Hurney was one of those people who were immensely affected by the news of the discovery of the Grayback after 75 years. Her uncle, Raymond Parks, was a member of the submarine as an electrician’s mate, first class. Hurney noted she had read a book before the discovery that only God could tell where the ships were, but now, she was able to tell where the Grayback was. This feat was possible due to a dedicated team’s genius usage of modern technology.

Painful Stories

Getting Long-awaited Closure

Hurney also had an interview with CNN during the same period, and she noted the discovery was a breakthrough for them as it brought closure and answers to mind-boggling questions and concerns. Knowing where the Grayback had sunk came as a healing remedy for relatives as they can now open up and share their stories. At first, Hurney noted the discovery came as a shock and was heart-rending, but as time passed, it became a bit more relaxing and comforting for them.

Getting Long Awaited Closure

Relative with a Mission to Find Lost Boat

Another relative of a victim is Kathy Taylor, whose uncle and godfather, Patrick King, was an electrician’s mate, third class. Taylor noted she had always had the determination to find out what happened to her uncle, where he was, and how much she would keep his memory alive. Even after all these years, her faith had been kept alive. She made this touching tribute while on an interview with ABC News.

Relative With A Mission To Find Lost Boat

One of Many Missing Submarines

For years to come, the discovery of the Grayback will be a fascinating one. However, it’s not the only sad wreckage story to have been discovered like the Grayback. The Minerve, a French submarine, was a mysterious discovery after it went missing two decades after the Grayback. It, too, was discovered 51 years ago and was in a “ghost” form when divers stumbled upon it. It took another incredible pioneering effort to rediscover this fallen vessel.

One Of Many Missing Submarines

The Search for Minerve Began

July 2019 was set to accomplish a feat no one else wanted to do. The Seabed Constructor crew went beneath the Mediterranean with underwater-controlled drones (over 9000 feet). The team was searching for Minerve, the French submarine that went missing in January 1968 with its 52-crew member. As they checked the records on the drones, they noticed one had hit the jackpot after it stumbled upon a wreckage site. Interestingly enough, the letters “MIN” were printed on the part of the wreckage. At last, the missing sub was found, more than a century after it went mysteriously out of site and off-radar.

The Search For Minerve Began

Training Mission

In 1968, Minerve was an active part of a training mission where it was working in coordination with military planes. Operations like these were standard for the nation eager to test out its newest naval technology. By January 27 of the same year, the submarine was on its way back to the port of Toulon, the home-base of the country’s naval unit. It was located in the southern region of France’s Mediterranean Coast.

Training Mission

Terrible Weather Conditions

The weather conditions were not the usual as it had developed into a stormy condition while Minerve was calmly cruising a little below the surface of the sea. It was in the Gulf of Lion where it’s snorkel was slightly raised above the water. However, at about 7:55 am, one of the aircraft working on the training session, a twin-engined Breguet Atlantic, received a radio call from the submarine. The message noted that a part of the operation should be aborted as the weather condition was too much to handle.

Terrible Weather Conditions

Last Radio Message

Sad to say, that was the last recorded message coming in from the submarine as a few minutes later, seismographs in the area where the submarine was last seen captured a tremor. The tremor was matched perfectly to what a submarine implosion would be. It seemed almost certain that something catastrophic had happened to the Minerve, and that its crew had tragically and yet enigmatically perished along with the vessel.

Last Radio Message

Immediate Search Mission

As no further messages or contacts were coming in from Minerve, a search team went into full gear immediately in searching for the submarine. There were about 20 helicopters in the search mission in addition to search ships and boats, but as time went by, they would all resort and draw a line. In the following years, the search continued but was proven futile and later saw authorities giving up on the search. No one knew at the time why the ship had sunk or what had happened to it that led to this mysterious disappearance.

Immediate Search Mission

40-Year Break

It was only about 40 years after that another search mission was started to find Minerve. However, before delving into the discovery of the sub, let us know a little more about the craft. Again, we want you to truly appreciate the bravery and successes of its crew and the technology behind its prowess. It was one of 11 Daphne-class vessels designed between 1958 and 1970 by the French for their navy.

40 Year Break

A Daphne-Class Submarine

The French also designed these Daphne-class submarines that were sold in other countries like Pakistan, South Africa, and Spain. After Minerve sank in 1968 and another French submarine in 1970, Eurydice, an end in production, was triggered, and France stopped the manufactures. However, there were already four in the creation process for Spain that went up to 1975. This submarine class proved to be enormously popular and successful around the world.

A Daphne Class Submarine

The Last Straw of Production

The Eurydice dilemma was the last straw they needed to decide there should be an end to the production of the historically successful and widely used Daphne submarines. While sailing in fair weather on March 4, 1970, about 35 miles from the port of Toulon in the Mediterranean. Suddenly, there was no sign of the boat anymore, and like Minerve, an underwater tremor was also felt in the region the boat was.

The Last Straw Of Production

Oil Discovered on the Water

As the sub went missing, search teams came on board immediately, and they discovered oil on the water surface along with pieces of wreckage. Sadly, one of the floating pieces had the name “Eurydice” encrypted on it, which led to conclude that the boat had sunk, exploded, and all 57 crew members had been killed. As tragic as this loss was, it was small consolation for the search party, which was determined to continue.

Oil Discovered On The Water

Quick Revovery for Eurydice

Unlike the Minerve, the Eurydice wreckage site was discovered quickly. In April 1970, American ship, USNS Mizar, found the pieces of wreckage where the ship had sunk (seven weeks after the tragedy). There were records of loose debris on the seabed about 2,000 and 3,600 feet. This kind of quick and yet no less tragic would bring all the dead crew’s families the heartbreaking and yet conclusive closure that they needed.

Quick Revovery For Eurydice

Eurydice – A Daphne Class Submarine

The Minerve, too, was a Daphne-class and was also recognized as a second-class craft. As such, Daphne-class submarines ranged between the Narval-class – which are the larger kinds that can easily traverse the ocean – and Arethusa-class, which are the smaller versions. The Arethusa-class was seen mostly as anti-submarine crafts and was the basis for which Daphne-class would be designed. This design would allow such nifty submarines to dart about the enemy positions laying waste.

Eurydice A Daphne Class Submarine

Low-Maintenance Submarines

The Daphne-class vessels were manufactured and noted to be low-maintenance while being highly mobile and carrying a limited amount of crew members. This was what made it so appealing to less developed countries with substantially more modest military budgets. This made France a lot of money, as the nation became a highly popular source for military expenditure for countries across the world. Minerve and her twin propellers were operated by an electric motor and two diesel engines.

Low Maintenance Submarines

Features of the Minerve

Minerve measured an estimated 190 feet from bow to stern and an average 22 feet across the beam. She had a range of 5,200 miles and an estimated 883 tons. The sub could manage to amass an 18 mph speed underwater and 15.5 mph above waves. There were eight torpedo tubes on the front of the sub while another four around the back. Despite its affordability, this class of submarine was still highly capable, with the capacity for espionage and battle.

Features Of The Minerve

Building Minerve

In 1957, the French naval authorities ordered Minerve from shipbuilders Chantiers Dubigeon, who started the initial construction in May, the next year. The works took place at Île de Nantes, an island on the River Loire in the manufacturer’s shipyard. This area is located in the city of Nantes. While the place is no longer serving the military, it has plenty of abandoned military and naval complexes which serve as testaments to the militarized Cold War era.

Building Minerve

Testing Minerve for the First Time

On May 31, 1961, Minerve was launched – three years after the construction phase began. The French navy and government held high hopes for the submarine, using this opportunity as a sort of globally appealing marketing event. It went on a little sail mission to achieve two core purposes. When a ship is newly launched, it should sail so mariners can test and understand the full specs and operation of the craft. Another reason include being able to test to see if everything is okay with the craft for when it goes on the battlefield.

Testing Minerve For The First Time

Docking in France After a Short Tour

The test cruise of Minerve took place in 1962, where she went from base to Londonderry in Northern Ireland. After leaving, she went to Bergen, the west coast of Norway then to Gothenburg port, a city in Sweden. When that trip was completed, she rested along France’s Atlantic coast at the Cherbourg port. And what an incredibly long journey it was, with such an incredible maiden voyage, made possible by a fantastically capable crew.

Docking In France After A Short Tour

Mediterrenean Sea Used for Crusing

After leaving Cherbourg, Minerve went back home to Toulon on the Mediterranean. For the rest of her career, until her disappearance, she used the Mediterranean sea as the source of most of her cruise. As noted earlier in January 1968, before the ship had sunk, it was sailing on the Mediterranean. Plenty of European ports saw this grand submarine make an appearance in their docks, and the Minerve soon became a common and famous sight for dockworkers and military personnel alike.

Mediterrenean Sea Used For Crusing

Commander with a Rich Family History of Sub-Operation

Lieutenant Andre Fauve was the commander of Minerve during that time. He was a career naval officer who took the same path as his father who was also a commander in chief for the battleship, Strasbourg. Intriguing yet sadly, the French were fully responsible for sinking the submarine, Strasbourg, as they didn’t want to be handed over to the Germans in a war due to having “few mechanisms to fight. ”

Commander With A Rich Family History Of Sub Operation

Journey Up the Ladder for Commander Fauve

Fauve was born in France’s north-western city of Ploërmel in 1935. After graduating from naval college in 1958, he became a submariner where he got a few years of qualified experience working on several submarines then later taking command of Minerve. At the time of his charge, he was only 32 years old. That new position was a stepping stone for Fauve as well, as, the point of his death as the sub would later sink with him and 51 other crew members.

Journey Up The Ladder For Commander Fauve

Faultless Operation of Minerve

When Minerve sank in January 1968, Commander Philipe Bouillot noted about Fauve’s experience and service to submarine operations. Bouillot spoke of the submariner’s dedicated service as he had covered over 7,000 hours of diving with Daphne-class submarines. The lieutenant also noted that he never experienced any problems with the type of subs, nor did he with Fauve. Based on this commendation, we can safely say Daphne-class submarines were reliable and trusted.

Faultless Operation Of Minerve

Blaming the Weather

With the quality of the submarines and the experienced commander and crew, people found it strange after no contact could be made when the last radio message was recorded. They agreed the weather could be the only issue resulting in the sinking of the sub. No matter how well-prepared a crew is, or how powerful a vessel, the ocean can easily become a devastating host. At the time the sub was in the Mediterranean, wind speeds were recorded to be up to 70 mph.

Blaming The Weather

Not Showing Up at the Port

The aircraft that received the distress call from Minerve tried hard to retrieve the dropped call for over 15 minutes but was no success. Weather conditions being as bad as they were, also caused a struggle for communications to be conducted effectively. As such, by 1:00 am when Minerve should have docked at Toulon, and it didn’t, a concern was raised, and further reports were made. There was an alarming edge to these communications.

Not Showing Up At The Port

Launching a Strong Rescue Team

As time went by and the sub still didn’t show up by 2:15 am at Toulon, an alarm was raised and a search party was sent out immediately. As previously mentioned, the search team consisted of over 20 helicopters and planes, boats, and even a mini-submarine which was associated, Jacques Cousteau, a famous undersea explorer. Cousteau was a famous and incredibly wealthy oceanic adventurer whose involvement in the efforts was greatly inspiring.

Launching A Strong Rescue Team

Limited Technological Devices

The search team tried their best, but nothing came up from the hours of tireless searching. During the 1960s, they didn’t have the technological devices as we do now, and as such, it would have been difficult. Furthermore, the area where Minerve was sailing measured around 3,300 to 6,600 feet deep. Regardless, all involved gave their all despite technological limitations and would not rest until they hopefully found the Minerve.

Limited Technological Devices

The Search Continued for Years

Later that year and going over into a few more years up to 1970, the search continued, but nothing still didn’t come from it. The American ship that would later locate Eurydice, USNS Mizar, was also commissioned in 1969 to help in the search in addition to a mini-sub called Archimede. Still, there were no successful results, and for the next couple of years, everyone thought Minerve had been lost to time and forever.

The Search Continued For Years

The Year 1968

Before going further, let’s take a look at some submarine-related activities that took place in 1968, the same year Minerve sank in the Mediterranean. Interestingly, yet heart-wrenching, it seemed a lot of submarine disasters were planned for that year, with all of them happening mysteriously. This series of mysterious disasters would be like something straight out of the Bermuda Triangle in its obscurity and lack of notable clues or discoveries.

The Year 1968

Missing Submarines

Two days before Minerve sank, an Israeli Navy submarine, INS Dakar, went missing in the Mediterranean (January 1968). Then by March the same year, a Russian boat sub-K-129 disappeared in the North Pacific, and then by May, USS Scorpion, an American nuclear submarine, went MIA in the Atlantic. It seemed like no country’s navy was safe from the enigmatic devastation, with none of them being able to make sense of it all.

Missing Submarines

Common Disappearance Issues

Strangely, all these disappearances had two things in common. The first fact was that all the subs had a large crew when they sank. Minerve had 52 crew members, INS Dakar had 69, USS Scorpion had 99, and K-129 had 98. This sure was a devastating moment, as so many lives were mysteriously lost. This was the kind of unexplainable crisis that would never get any kind of explanation or even the smallest sense.

Common Disappearance Issues

Mysterious Disappearance

Secondly, all the subs disappearances were mysterious. The Dakar, which was a British submarine adapted from WWII, was sailing along the eastern side of the Mediterranean sea and on its way to Israel when she went down on January 25, 1968. How could so little sense be made from so many losses? By now, countless lives had been lost, and many millions of dollars’ worth of military vessels – a costly loss indeed.

Mysterious Disappearance

Dakar Wreckage Site Unraveled

For the next 30 years, the search and questions about Dakar were on the minds and lips of everyone. However, in 1999, the wreckage site of Dakar was located. The search team consisted of an Israeli-U.S. team that created a joint military group to scour the waters to find the lost ship. It turned out the sub had sunk to a whopping 9.800 feet below surface level and was seated between the islands of Crete and Cyprus in the Mediterranean region. To date, the cause of her mysterious sinking has never been unraveled.

Dakar Wreckage Site Unraveled

Dealing with Missing Soviet K-129 Submarine

The next disaster after Minerve was the Soviet submarine K-129 that went down on March 8 with all crew aboard. The sub’s wreckage site was not discovered until August of that year. American USS Halibut made the discovery and was shocked to reveal the sub had gone under 16,000 feet of water. It was found near the island of Oahu, on the north-western end of Hawaii. However, the search mission took on a rather secret approach as President Nixon, at the time, thought the wreckage site would have been ideal to find potential nuclear weapons.

Dealing With Missing Soviet K 129 Submarine

Severed Bodies Discovered at Wreckage Site

The search turned out to be an emotional one, as there were gruesome discoveries along the way. Divers discovered a piece of wreckage that had the bodies of six submariners, radioactive enough that they were sealed in a steel container and buried at sea. This action also involved a full military ceremony. But, whether they had discovered any nuclear weapons are not, is still unknown to this day – remember a private salvage was commanded.

Severed Bodies Discovered At Wreckage Site

Mission USS Scorpion

The next sub to go missing was the American submarine, USS Scorpion. During that time, it was conducting a watch mission near the Portuguese Azores islands. She was commissioned to keep watch of Soviet naval activities, and after her mission was completed, she set sailing back to Norfolk, Virginia, where she based. If only these world powers could have united to tackle this incredibly wasteful mystery, then perhaps some light would have been shed.

Mission USS Scorpion

A Catastrophic Disappearance

However, as expected, USS Scorpion did not show up at base at the time she was designated to reach, and this caused an alarm. Her last radio message was recorded on May 22, and after failed attempts to contact her later on, she was declared missing on June 5. Mizar was commissioned to search for her and later discovered the wreckage site at some 9,800 feet below the waves. The site was also estimated to be 460 miles away from the Azores. Many people described Scorpion’s disappearance as an “unexplained catastrophic event.”

A Catastrophic Disappearance

The Search for Minerve Re-kindled

Though the search mission for Minerve was aborted in 1969, loved ones of those who tragically lost their lives were still hopeful they would find the vessel to have peace of mind and closure. One standout individual in the group was the son of the sub’s last commander, Herve Fauve. This was one heroic and selfless individual who put the lives of his crew before his own, time after time.

The Search For Minerve Re Kindled

A Public Campaign to Find Minerve

In 2018, when the emotional pressure became unbearable, Herve and several other relatives of the lost crew started a public campaign to have the search for the ship re-kindled. By then, Minerve was the only French vessel that remained unknown after it sank as all the others were discovered. The campaign gained public interest, and with mounting pressure, the French government commissioned a search mission. They had finally buckled to reason.

A Public Campaign To Find Minerve

Minerve Found After More Than Half Century

After more than 50 of inactivity, the authorities fired-up search efforts in July 2019 to try and find the sub that went missing. Seabed Constructor, a search vessel operated by American firm Ocean Infinity, got detailed information on the area where the ship had reported missing in the Mediterranean. Then, on July 22, a long-awaited message was publicly declared – the lost submarine’s wreckage site was found at an estimated 7,700 feet below the seabed.

Minerve Found After More Than Half Century

The Use of Modern Technology

Technology played an integral role in finding the lost submarine as drones were used by Seabed Constructor to locate the wreckage site. After the news release, Fauve, in an emotional interview with a French newspaper, Le Monde, noted a lot of people rallied behind him so that he wouldn’t feel alone in his quest. However, he did note a lot of them were doubtful that the sub would be found.

The Use Of Modern Technology

A Bitter-Sweet Moment for Family

The news certainly brought out a lot of emotional responses, including Therese Scheirmann-Descamps, who lost her husband, Jules, on Minerve. She noted it was a joy, especially for her kids, as they were all able to get some closure as to what happened to their dad. Another relative, Jacques Dannay, whose father was on the sub, admitted that though it may sound stupid, he didn’t believe his father was dead seeing they didn’t have proof of the sub sinking. For Dannay, he was only two at the time his father lost his life aboard Minerve.

A Bitter Sweet Moment For Family

1968 – The Year No One Will Forget

After the discovery, the French government made a declaration that the wreckage site should be a marine sanctuary. However, questions remain about how she managed to sink, and though the site of the wreckage saw pieces in three parts on the seabed, investigators are still not able to conclude what happened. Some researchers believed there was a fault with Minerve’s rudder, but still, to date, the majority of researchers believe bad weather and rough seas were the cause of her demise. No matter what may have caused her to sink, 1968 will be a year no one desires to remember as it is a sad, devastating, and emotional memory. Also, it is a real picture of what submariners face when they set out for missions.

1968 The Year No One Will Forget

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